Enneagram Concepts: Your Personality, Unpacked and Decoded

DJ Wayne 8/10/2024

The Enneagram is your personality in a box.

Another way to say it is that the Enneagram identifies common patterns among people and has identified 9 distinct personality types. Now it does break down further and every Enneagram enthusiast should tell you that it is a tool isn’t meant to describe you in every detail. However if you have never heard of it you might be suprised by the detail to which you can be described in the Enneagram.

What’s This Enneagram Thing Anyway?

The Enneagram isn’t just another personality quiz you take when you’re bored at work. It’s a system that maps out nine distinct personality types, each with its own worldview, motivations, and quirks. Think of it as a GPS for your psyche.

Curious about where this system came from? Check out the Enneagram’s intriguing origins.

What the Enneagram Is Not

Before we dive in, let’s clear up some misconceptions:

It’s not a strengths and weaknesses checklist.
It doesn’t box you into “thinker” or “feeler” categories.
It’s not an introvert-extrovert sorter.

What the Enneagram Actually Is

The Enneagram is all about:

Your core motivations (what gets you out of bed in the morning)
Your deepest fears (what keeps you up at night)
Your coping mechanisms (how you deal when things get tough)

The Nine Types: A Quick Tour

The Perfectionist: Striving for improvement
The Helper: Seeking to be needed
The Achiever: Chasing success
The Individualist: Searching for identity
The Investigator: Pursuing knowledge
The Loyalist: Seeking security
The Enthusiast: Avoiding pain
The Challenger: Asserting strength
The Peacemaker: Maintaining harmony

Not sure which one you are? Start here to figure out your type.

The Three Centers: Head, Heart, and Gut

The Enneagram groups these types into three centers:

Head Center (5, 6, 7): These types lead with their thinking.
Heart Center (2, 3, 4): These types lead with their feelings.
Gut Center (8, 9, 1): These types lead with their instincts.

Wings: Because One Type Isn’t Complicated Enough

Your wing is like your personality’s sidekick - it’s the type on either side of your main type that influences your behavior.

Levels of Development: The Personality Growth Chart

Each type can operate at different levels of health. It’s like a video game - you can level up or down depending on your choices.

Stress and Growth Arrows: Your Personality’s Secret Passages

Under stress or during growth, you may take on characteristics of other types. It’s like your personality has secret tunnels to other rooms.

Dive deeper into how types change under stress.

Instinctual Subtypes: Your Survival Strategies

Each type has three subtypes based on basic human needs:

Self-preservation: Focused on personal security
Social: Prioritizing group dynamics
Sexual (One-to-one): Emphasizing intense connections

Learn more about these subtypes and how they shape behavior.

Advanced Concepts: For the Enneagram Nerds

Triads: Alternative Type Groupings

Triads are ways of categorizing the nine Enneagram types into groups of three, each offering a different perspective on how personalities operate:

Hornevian Groups (Karen Horney)

These groups, named after psychoanalyst Karen Horney, describe how types interact with others and the world:

Assertive types actively shape their environment (3, 7, 8).
Compliant types adapt to meet perceived expectations (1, 2, 6).
Withdrawn types maintain distance for self-protection (4, 5, 9).

Harmonic Groups

These groups reflect how types cope with difficulty:

Competency types focus on logic and efficiency (1, 3, 5).
Reactive types express emotions readily and seek understanding (4, 6, 8).
Positive Outlook types maintain optimism and seek silver linings (2, 7, 9).

Object Relations

These groups, rooted in psychoanalytic theory, describe core relational issues:

Attachment types seek connection and validation from others (3, 6, 9).
Frustration types feel a sense of inner lack or missing piece (1, 4, 7).
Rejection types struggle with closeness, either pushing away or withdrawing (2, 5, 8).

Holy Ideas and Virtues: The high points of each type

Holy Ideas

Perfection: The belief that reality is inherently perfect as it is.
Freedom: The understanding that true freedom comes from within.
Hope: The recognition that goodness and value are inherent in existence.
Origin: The realization that all beings are interconnected and part of a greater whole.
Omniscience: The understanding that all knowledge is accessible and interconnected.
Faith: The belief in the fundamental goodness and support of the universe.
Wisdom: The recognition that all of life’s experiences contribute to growth and understanding.
Truth: The perception of reality as it truly is, without distortion.
Love: The understanding that love is the underlying nature of existence.

Virtues

Serenity: Inner peace and calm acceptance.
Humility: Genuine modesty and lack of ego.
Truthfulness: Honest and authentic self-expression.
Equanimity: Emotional balance and stability. Synonym: composure.
Non-attachment: Freedom from excessive clinging to ideas or possessions.
Courage: Strength in facing fears and challenges.
Sobriety: Clear-mindedness and emotional stability. In this context, it refers to general temperance, not just abstinence from alcohol.
Innocence: Purity of intention and openness to experience.
Action: Engaged and purposeful behavior.

Fixations and Passions: The low points of each type

Fixations

Resentment: Persistent anger or bitterness.
Flattery: Excessive or insincere praise.
Vanity: Excessive pride in one’s appearance or achievements.
Melancholy: Persistent sadness or depression.
Stinginess: Excessive frugality or unwillingness to share. Synonym: miserliness.
Cowardice: Lack of courage in facing challenges.
Planning: Excessive focus on future possibilities at the expense of the present.
Vengeance: Desire for retribution or revenge.
Indolence: Avoidance of effort or activity. Synonym: laziness.

Passions

Anger: Strong feeling of displeasure or hostility.
Pride: Excessive self-esteem or conceit.
Deceit: Dishonesty or trickery.
Envy: Resentful desire for others’ possessions or qualities.
Avarice: Excessive desire for wealth or possessions. Synonym: greed.
Fear: Feeling of anxiety or dread.
Gluttony: Excessive indulgence, particularly in food or drink.
Lust: Intense desire or craving, often for power or control.
Sloth: Reluctance to work or make an effort. In this context, it refers to spiritual or emotional apathy, not just physical laziness.

Understanding these concepts can provide deeper insights into type motivations and growth paths.

Explore how these concepts relate to personal development

Type	Characteristic role	Ego fixation	Holy idea	Trap	Basic fear	Basic desire	Temptation	Vice/Passion	Virtue	Stress/ Disintegration	Security/ Integration
1	Reformer, Perfectionist	Resentment	Perfection	Perfection	Corruptness, imbalance, being bad	Goodness, integrity, balance	Hypocrisy, hypercriticism	Anger	Serenity	4	7
2	Helper, Giver	Flattery	Freedom, Will	Freedom	Being unlovable	To feel worthy of love	Deny own needs, manipulation	Pride	Humility	8	4
3	Achiever, Performer	Vanity	Hope, Law	Efficiency	Worthlessness	To feel valuable	Pushing self to always be “the best”	Deceit	Truthfulness	9	6
4	Individualist, Romantic	Melancholy	Origin	Authenticity	Having no identity or significance	To be uniquely themselves	To overuse imagination in search of self	Envy	Equanimity (Emotional Balance)	2	1
5	Investigator, Observer	Stinginess	Omniscience, Transparency	Observer	Helplessness, incapability, incompetence	Mastery, understanding	Replacing direct experience with concepts	Avarice	Detachment	7	8
6	Loyalist, Loyal Skeptic	Cowardice	Faith	Security	Being without support or guidance	To have support and guidance	Indecision, doubt, seeking reassurance	Fear	Courage	3	9
7	Enthusiast, Epicure	Planning	Plan, Work, Wisdom	Idealism	Being unfulfilled, trapped, deprived	To be satisfied and content	Thinking fulfillment is somewhere else	Gluttony	Sobriety	1	5
8	Challenger, Protector	Vengeance	Truth	Justice	Being controlled, harmed, violated	To gain influence and be self-sufficient	Thinking they are completely self-sufficient	Lust	Innocence	5	2
9	Peacemaker, Mediator	Indolence	Love	Seeker	Loss, fragmentation, separation	Wholeness, peace of mind	Avoiding conflicts, avoiding self-assertion	Sloth	Action	6	3

From Wikipedia

Putting It All Together: The Enneagram in Real Life

Personal Growth

Understanding your type can be like having a personal growth cheat sheet.

Discover how to use the Enneagram for self-improvement.

Relationships

The Enneagram can be your translator in the sometimes confusing language of relationships.

Learn how to communicate better with different types.

Work Life

Your Enneagram type might explain why you love (or hate) your job.

Explore how different types function in the workplace.

Spiritual Growth

For some, the Enneagram is a path to deeper spiritual understanding.

See how the Enneagram intersects with religion and spirituality.

The Fine Print: Criticisms and Limitations

Like any system, the Enneagram has its critics. It’s a tool, not a crystal ball.

Read about some common criticisms of the Enneagram.

Wrapping It Up: Your Personality, Decoded

The Enneagram offers a map of your inner landscape. It’s not about putting yourself in a box, but about understanding the box you might already be in - and finding the way out.

Ready to dive deeper? Check out our comprehensive Enneagram FAQ or explore recommended Enneagram resources.

What’s your take on the Enneagram? Does it resonate with you, or does it miss the mark? Share your thoughts and let’s keep the conversation going!

Each of these types has a distinct worldview and set of behaviors, which are shaped by their core fears, desires, and motivations. By understanding these core motivations, individuals can gain a deeper understanding of their own behavior and how it impacts others.